


Religion in the Libraryverse

by TheGreatLibraryFangirl (Mazeem)



Series: Meta Archives [5]
Category: The Great Library Series - Rachel Caine
Genre: Alternate Universe - Religious, Ancient Egyptian Deities, Author Is Not Religious, Gen, Meta, Muslim Character, Pagan Gods, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Religion, Religious Content, Religious Discussion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28977459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mazeem/pseuds/TheGreatLibraryFangirl
Summary: Which religions and deities are mentioned in the alternate history of Rachel Caine's The Great Library series, and which characters follow them?As usual, a dig into the details that probably no-one else cares about.(PS: Send help, 'religion' has now stopped looking like a word.)
Series: Meta Archives [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647619
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Deities Mentioned

This is, to the best of my knowledge, a record of every deity mentioned in the series, and in Stormcrow, one of the Wattpad stories that I consider pseudo-canon. 

Firstly, the many who are only mentioned as statues/automata. 

  1. **Nut** (Egyptian), displayed in inlays, once in the chest containing Morgan’s collar, once on the Artifex’s office door
  2. **Menhit** (Egyptian/Nubian), one of the very many war deities outside the High Commander’s office.
  3. **Hera** (Greek), automaton on the street where Dario tries to contact a book smuggler in P&F.
  4. **Bast** (Egyptian), hostile Artifex/Archivist automaton in Smoke and Iron, and Sword and Pen, statue in Sword and Pen.
  5. **Athena** (Greek), **Saraswati** (Hindu) and **Nabu** (Mesopotamian) are mentioned as writing deities, found in the Library gardens.
  6. There’s a statue of **Hathor** (Egyptian) at the top of the Lighthouse. 
  7. There’s also a statue of **Heron** mentioned - he’s not a deity as such but multiple characters exclaim in his name throughout the series. Could easily get fully deified since his tomb has been uncovered. 
  8. **Jupiter, Juno, Pluto, Mercury, Victoria** and **Minerva** (all Roman) are mentioned as statues while the pack are in Rome. 



Now, those deities mentioned with evidence of worship/cultural integration. 

  1. Christian God and the Muslim Allah are both mentioned extensively. 
  2. **Ra** (very major Egyptian god) is mentioned in exclamations during Stormcrow. Nowhere else, interestingly.
  3. See point above about **Heron** \- he’s used to exclaim/swear by.
  4. **Thoth** is described as "god of many things, including technology and magic" and elsewhere as "had invented writing and served as the god of scribes.". He has a statue in the writing gardens (see point 5 above) and an automaton in the Serapeum. He has a “faded” temple, in “poor repair” in Sword and Pen.
  5. **Hephaestus** (Greek) has a temple mentioned in canon. Jess also compares Thomas to Hephaestus.
  6. **Laverna** (Roman goddess of thieves, cheats and the underworld) Fittingly, this is the temple where Red Ibrahim takes Jess in Smoke and Iron. 
  7. **Anubis** (Egyptian god of the underworld) Mentioned a few times, most noticeably has a temple in Sword and Pen. Priestess and religious functions mentioned. 
  8. **Bes/Beset (** Egyptian) are mentioned as the ‘household gods’ in Alexandria, depicted on thresholds. It’s polite to touch/acknowledge them. 
  9. **Osiris** (another very major Egyptian god) is mentioned in Stormcrow, and also when Anit is talking about the Egyptian afterlife in Sword and Pen. 
  10. **Ma’at** (Egyptian deity of justice/truth) is likewise mentioned by Anit.
  11. **Isis:** Used as an exclamation ”Blessed Isis!” by Anit and a random guard. Santi asks a statue of Isis to keep Wolfe safe in Sword and Pen, and we also see a hostile Isis automaton in, I think Paper and Fire.
  12. **Horus.** And of course, Horus. The emblem of the Library, and of the Archivist's power, and as a result mentioned … everywhere. In every way possible. No, really.


  * There are 5 mentions in Ink and Bone (statues, old engravings/inscriptions),
  * 12 in Paper and Fire (one exclamation "For the love of Horus," Horus eyes for High Garda centurion rankings, statues/automata, "Horus help me," described as "god of scribes. Patron of the Great Library."
  * 4 in Ash and Quill (eye of Horus on a flag, yet another statue, Callum Brightwell refers to the Library using Horus as a metaphor in discussing the printing press "This machine renders the all-seeing eye of Horus blind." and an eye of Horus on the Archivist's crown. 
  * EIGHTEEN in Smoke and Iron (almost entirely automata)
  * and 5 in Sword and Pen. (automata, eye of Horus worked in silver on the Archivist's robes.)



I can’t help but headcanon that Khalila starts to fade Horus out and bring Thoth in as the god of the Library. Far more fitting.


	2. Religious Affiliations

Here is all the evidence that we have for any religious affiliations amongst our main characters, and any side characters that I spotted too. 

* * *

**Khalila Seif** :

Muslim (denomination not mentioned, devotion shown explicitly and often throughout the series)

**Jess Brightwell** :

Catholic, as evidenced from Ink and Bone where he argues with Portero and his intolerant form of Catholicism. ''I'm as good a Catholic as you, I just don't hold with making the world into copies of what I like.''... ''Real enough to the Egyptians.''

Looks like he might be a lapsed Catholic, or very unenthusiastic. When he sees Santi making a cross for Danton, Jess' response is culturally Christian blasphemy ''Christ above' 'and then crossing himself in ''a long forgotten habit.''

On the ship with Khalila in Ash and Quill, he does sort of pray ''I might try...'' ''his own kind of a prayer'. More of a bargain." and earlier in Ash and Quill he says that he did pray for Santi's recovery, as Wolfe asked. 

**Niccolo Santi** :

Catholic. He makes the sign of the cross when Danton dies in Ink and Bone. He describes himself as a 'staunch' Catholic in Sword and Pen, but acknowledges Isis as able to protect Wolfe - i.e. acknowledging she exists and has power. This is, um, quite a reach for a Catholic. This more accepting attitude makes him a fascinating foil to Portero's Catholic themed intolerance.

Khalila, the other definite monotheist, does just, just once, acknowledge another god, in Ash and Quill where she says to Jess ''Your God and mine are listening.'' 

**Christopher Wolfe** :

Egyptian pagan. We know he isn't a Christian and worships multiple gods from early on in the series, mainly from his and Santi's letters, and Sword and Pen confirms that he's a follower of Isis, at least. 

**Thomas Schreiber** :

Protestant. Mentioned in Ash and Quill by Jess: "I didn't think Protestant Germans went to confession," but otherwise not mentioned again. So that could just be cultural.

**Joachim** **Portero** :

Catholic. He has a rosary on him in the carriage where he argues with Jess, which suggests he carries one all the time. He calls the statues ''false gods'' and says they should be torn down.

Danton says Portero will be failed for ''this kind of talk''. It could be the religious intolerance that's the problem, or could be willingness to destroy what he doesn't agree with which is (in theory aha) very anti the Library ethos.

**Morgan Hault** :

AFAIK, nothing is ever mentioned at all about any religious affiliation for Morgan.

**Glain Wathen** :

Pagan? At one point she swears by multiple gods, and in Paper and Fire she swears by Hades. So, tentatively, on very little evidence, she _might_ follow the Ancient Greek religion. 

**Anit** :

Egyptian pagan. This is most obvious in Sword and Pen, where she talks about her father's death and afterlife, but there are a few bits in previous books too. 

**Red Ibrahim** :

Egyptian pagan? Despite his name, which is Arabic and Muslim, he prepared himself an expensive mastaba to be used in case of his death, which is an ancient Egyptian burial structure. That doesn't necessarily mean that he believes in the Ancient Egyptian afterlife, but it suggests it was the culture he grew up in. (See: people who get Christian funerals even though they don't believe, just because That's What A Funeral Looks Like.)

**Dario Santiago** :

Catholic. He swears by God and blasphemes a lot. His cousin the king Ramon mentions Mass, so in lieu of any other evidence at all, we're going with culturally Catholic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of this will be entirely conjecture and headcanon about Jess, so you'll have to wait a little for that lol. Here endeth the religion facts, for now.


End file.
